Gesink Discussion Thread

[Miburo]

Not really. It's in the mind. So no reason to stop. He needs some good proper therapy.

Something that Rabobank/belkin never did properly after his father died. Told you something went wrong after that. He's never been the same

Must have been terrible for him. Let's hope he'll recover from it, maybe he'll never be the same cyclist again but at least on a human level he'll be the same again.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Google translate from his personal site.

The 27-year-old Varssevelder struggling for some time with problems. Thus z ou occasionally his heart beat racing.

At the National Championships in 2011 and the Giro in 2013, he would for that reason be abandoned. In the last cycling race which participated Gesink, the Tour of the Basque Country, he dropped off the road. That was on Friday, April 11. Also in Tirreno-Adriatico he stopped the battle, during the mountain stage which was won. Alberto Contador

Belkin announced Monday that the blood of Gesink would be to see if he was fit enough to participate in the Amstel Gold Race, this Sunday examined. The question now is whether the rider is not a much longer time is out of circulation.

Since 2011
Gesink has been struggling for several years with health problems. Around the cycling team since 2011 are increasing signs out that the 27-year-old Varssevelder have heart problems.

In 2011, the problems for the first time out in competition. While NK Ootmarsum, a week before the Tour de France, he steps off abruptly. From sources around the Rabobank cycling team reads the statement heart problems.

The official version of the team is that he would have the transition from altitude training at sea level. Burden In the subsequent tour in the very first mountain stage, he loses more than seventeen minutes. He finished the Tour as 32th. A year later, when after the eleventh stage of the Tour, he already dismounting, stories come out that his heart sometimes goes crazy. His employer (Rabobank, Blanco and Belkin later) request would not mention a word about this.

Panic Attack
Keep the problems in 2013. In the Giro d'Italia, he is the designated leader of Blanco. On May 23, Gesink feel during the trial that his heart is not in order. He is still 29th, but he gets a panic attack after his trial. Against insiders, he would say: "My career is over." After consultation with doctors, he decided the next day no longer start.

In the Tour that year's Bauke Mollema the designated leader. It is within Belkin doubts about the participation of Gesink. If the story about his heart problems could occur during the Tour, from would have negative consequences for the team. After a vote among the team leaders is 4 to 3: Gesink is doing so bad.

Ultimately supports the Achterhoeker his leader Mollema in the stage to Alpe d Huez and also ensures that Mollema that round finishes sixth. Gesink, who in January was sixth in the Tour Down Under in February and finished fifth in Oman, for 2014 one of the two designated leaders for the Tour. Whether he even step down on July 5, is the question.

So his team have known about the condition since July 2011: duty of care?

Since the 2010 tour, he has won 44% of his CQ points outside Europe: something very odd that they cannot protect him from what he experiences as external pressure to the extent that it has such extreme physiological consequences, when simple geographical distance can provide the requisite protection.

 

[happytramp]

Story on front page saying he's been fitted with a pacemaker to help? That sounds awful.

I think going public with the story is a great idea. Should help relieve some of the pressure both physically and mentally.

 

[Carols]

Yes like a heart operation.

Evidently no physical problem was found. It is stress induced. A heart operation will not cure that!

 

[theyoungest]

Google translate from his personal site.



So his team have known about the condition since July 2011: duty of care?

Since the 2010 tour, he has won 44% of his CQ points outside Europe: something very odd that they cannot protect him from what he experiences as external pressure to the extent that it has such extreme physiological consequences, when simple geographical distance can provide the requisite protection.

That's a copy-paste from the NOS website, it's a badly written article that suddenly contributes all Gesink's bad performances to this heart condition, which clearly isn't the case... he tends to crash every now and then

It's true that his team seems to have been a bit slow on the uptake, as apparently he hasn't seen a sports psychologist at all for this problem... just a few cardiologists.

Story on front page saying he's been fitted with a pacemaker to help? That sounds awful.

No, that's badly translated... he was fitted with a heartrate monitor, not a pacemaker.

 

[martinvickers]

Evidently no physical problem was found. It is stress induced. A heart operation will not cure that!

Actually, it might if it involves the fitting of a pacemaker of some sort.

My brother, a decent former sportsman (national and minor international level taekwondo) spent years with doctors trying to work out why he was having 'jitters' and 'racing hearts'. He was told for ages it was stress related, and that if it got worse a pacemaker might help. As it happened his aryhthmia has other sources, and thus other treatments, but there's no doubt even 'psychological' issues can still sometimes require physical interventions.

p.s. he's fine now by the way

 

[Der Effe]

Sad story, really. The guy has had so many **** coming to him the last few year. The death of his father, a broken leg etc. But let's also not forget the incredible amount of **** he got from the media. Sickening really to participate in the process of someone's breakdown. And for what? Because he is an above average cyclist?

 

[martinvickers]

Not really. It's in the mind. So no reason to stop. He needs some good proper therapy.

Something that Rabobank/belkin never did properly after his father died. Told you something went wrong after that. He's never been the same

It's easy to forget these lads are human, all with their own real-life mundane yet awful problems.

Get well soon Robert.

 

[RedheadDane]

Whatever he does, whatever he choses, let it be what's best for him.
Even if his health allows him to return, but he then decides that he just doesn't want to race anymore.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Actually he already told De Telegraaf that he is definately going to keep racing

 

[Afrank]

Really sad to hear. But good that he finally has figured out what his problems have been. Would be nice to see, now that he knows this, someday making a return (edit: just read Dekker's post, glad he's gonna keep racing, hope he recovers and doesn't stress himself out more). Right now just hope he can fully recover.

Cycling and sport in general can definitely be cruel and stressful sometimes. Probably the amount of stress that can come from cycling is the biggest reason why I might not want the job of a pro cyclists if given the chance.

 

[RedheadDane]

Actually he already told De Telegraaf that he is definately going to keep racing

Oh! That's really good to hear.

 

[Kokoso]

Actually, it might if it involves the fitting of a pacemaker of some sort.

My brother, a decent former sportsman (national and minor international level taekwondo) spent years with doctors trying to work out why he was having 'jitters' and 'racing hearts'. He was told for ages it was stress related, and that if it got worse a pacemaker might help. As it happened his aryhthmia has other sources, and thus other treatments, but there's no doubt even 'psychological' issues can still sometimes require physical interventions.

p.s. he's fine now by the way

No, I don't think "simple" panic attacks are ever treated by fitting pacemaker.

 

[Netserk]

Sad to hear, but it does make sense. Explains a lot. I really hope it gets better.

I wonder why they didn't then use him as dom only, and also tell the public that he wasn't captain but only a helper. That should help to decrease the expectations.

 

[wayahead]

I hope he will find his way.

 

[theyoungest]

Sad to hear, but it does make sense. Explains a lot. I really hope it gets better.

I wonder why they didn't then use him as dom only, and also tell the public that he wasn't captain but only a helper. That should help to decrease the expectations.

That's exactly what they did. Didn't help at all though, after the first hilly stage in Corsica immediately questions were raised about his form and whether he should even be in the Tour.

 

[Beech Mtn]

Awfully sorry to hear about Gesink's problems, but very, very proud of him for being strong enough to come forward and talk publicly about it. That can't have been easy, and god knows, sports are a culture that's all about sucking it up and never admitting to any sort of pain or physical or mental weakness. Hopefully this will be the start of a big step forward to a better life and more peace of mind. Such a nice guy, wish him only the best..

 

[Netserk]

That's exactly what they did. Didn't help at all though, after the first hilly stage in Corsica immediately questions were raised about his form and whether he should even be in the Tour.

Didn't he go to the Giro that year as leader?

 

[martinvickers]

No, I don't think "simple" panic attacks are ever treated by fitting pacemaker.

Well, your idea of simple and mine may differ, but feel free to argue the point with my brother's medical team.

 

[l.Harm]

Didn't he go to the Giro that year as leader?

He always had it (on average once a year) but only after the Giro he got scared.

 

[Netserk]

He always had it (on average once a year) but only after the Giro he got scared.

Then why wasn't he any better? :O

 

[Arnout]

It seems more of a physical issue than I first thought based on the reports. I'll never be a fan of him, but I wish him well, someone quite close to me has dysrhythmia too and it ****s with you mentally like nothing else.

Also, what a tosser is the reporter that broke this story this morning. I knew that already, Thijs Zonneveld is a moron, but he decided to publish it because Gesink had promised him an interview 11 months ago. The interview never came, instead Gesink announced a public press conference. So he hurried to get the story out first because he was offended by that decision. It's Gesinks life, but just a story for mr Zonneveld. The latter is more important appararently. I'm all for open journalism (let them uncover NSA practices any day of the week), but only if it is relevant to the public and not solely ****s with the life of individuals involved.

 

[Beech Mtn]

Arnout, can you give a quick summary of what Gesink actually said about it at the press conference? Just to separate out the false info from this morning's stories, like whether he had a pacemaker implanted or not, etc. Also, did he say what his future plans are re racing?

 

[trevim]

So sad for Gesink, I've always liked him although his inconsistency made it difficult to cheer for him. But I'm always happy when he win/performs. I wish him the very best in or outside cycling.

 

[Arnout]

I didn't watch the press conference, but according to most post-press conference reports he had heart issues since 2008 (Brabantse Pijl). They were infrequent, but naturally scared him more and more every time. Last year in the Giro in the TT he had these issues coupled with hyperventilation and abandoned. He had checks in hospitals multiple times throughout the years, but they were never able to fix the issues and last week during Pays Vasco he had arrhythmia again (as well as in the Tirreno apparantly). He had promised close family to fix the problems when they re-emerged again, so now he will undergo a heart operation before restarting his career as cyclist.

This would indicate that his arrhythmia is a physical problem at least partly (these kind of things come together usually, once you start worrying about it the arrhythmia will become more frequent and pronounced, at least in case of the person closish to me I talked about). The talk earlier today by that journalist about this being a mental problem seems to be wrong or at least partly wrong. Of course, that still doesn't explain why he does so well in the US and Canada compared to Europe, but that could have other reasons too: it is true he generally dislikes press and pressure and I don't think that (fully) relates to his heart problems.

Because of the heart problems, he had to undergo checks on his heart of course. As far as I know, one gets a heartrate monitor for one or a few days which registers heartrate and irregularities to be able to diagnose the problem. This is very different from a pacemaker (no pacemaker for Gesink) which is an implanted device that controls heartrate too and runs on a nuclear battery. A heartrate monitor does nothing to fix problems, it only registers them.